1. Field of the Invention
This application relates specifically to devices for removing flood water and more specifically to compact, vehicle mounted devices for removing flood water.
2. Description of the Related Art
Property damage due to weather-related flooding in the United States is on the order of billions of dollars annually. Non weather-related flooding (such as can be caused by plumbing and water main leaks and failures) further escalates the amount of property damage caused by flood water annually. In the face of catastrophic weather events, a certain amount of flood water damage is inevitable. However, the damage due to flood water can be mitigated by rapid removal of the flood water from residential and commercial building. Rapid removal of flood water can reduce the risk of water damage to residential construction and can reduce the risk of subsequent mold growth.
Various devices for removing flood water are known in the art. However, flood water removal devices known in the art suffer from significant shortcomings. Often, vehicle-mounted carpet cleaning systems are used for flood water removal. These systems often include electric motors that drive vacuum pumps for creating vacuum in a hose or pipe to remove water from a flooded location. Powering the electric motors can prove problematic in flood damaged areas, where power grids are often inoperative for days or (in the instance of a major hurricane) weeks following a large scale flood event. Thus, the transport vehicle's engine must often be used to provide power for these systems. They can typically transport water at flow rates of approximately 5 gallons per minute, often requiring long periods for flood water removal.
Additionally, some previous water removal systems include internal combustion engines that are relatively large and noisy. These previous systems have often utilized substantially all of the cargo space of the vehicles on which they were mounted, leaving little room for other tools and equipment. Moreover, these systems have typically generated noise levels in excess of 100 decibels. This high level of noise generation often precluded the use of such devices during many hours of the day in residential areas.